Understanding older adults’ social capital in place: Obstacles to and opportunities for social contacts in the neighbourhood

Abstract

Social capital has been a popular concept used in research and policy to stress the value of social contacts for the health and well-being of older adults. However, not much is known about the obstacles to and the opportunities for local social contacts in older adults' everyday lives. In this paper we provide a geographical account of older adults' social capital, by taking the main context of their daily life, the neighbourhood, into consideration. We draw on semi-structured and walking interviews with 17 older adults living in an urban neighbourhood in the Northern Netherlands in order to illustrate the meanings of, the obstacles to and the opportunities for local social contacts. Our findings show that the neighbourhood is not an isotropic surface where opportunities for developing social capital are evenly distributed. The potential benefits of older adults' local social contacts differ depending on the place of social interaction within the neighbourhood and expectations associated with these interactions. Furthermore, different time geographies of older and younger residents as well as ageist stereotypes of older adults' body capital influence the development of social capital in the neighbourhood.

Numbers and narratives: Developing a mixed-methods approach to understand mobility in later life

“…In line with Bell et al (2014), our findings demonstrate the value of a mixed-method approach to better understand the role of relational agency with regard to wellbeing. Furthermore, our findings illuminate the significance of the differing time-geographies of people in different phases of their life course e in particular for the social lives of older adults, as has also been found by Lager et al (2015).…”

Unpacking community mobility: a preliminary study into the embodied experiences of stroke survivors

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Designing Interiors to Mitigate Physical and Cognitive Deficits Related to Aging and to Promote Longevity in Older Adults: A Review

“…They are highly influenced by the geographic location of where an individual chooses to age [16]. Geographic locations with higher social capital are likely to be more beneficial to one's health and well-being [17]. Rural configurations of place compared with urban configurations provide different experiences for those who live there [18].…”

“…She argues that vibrant, safe neighborhoods are ones that allow for and encourage social interactions and mutual support through the mix of uses and the provision of sidewalks. Neighborhood amenities are also crucial for older adults, since they provide opportunities for chance encounters [17]. In Madrid, Spain, for example, most elderly individuals live within 10 min of accessible amenities.…”